i actually think that there is a very valid reason to use drones, to use pilotless aircraft in a war when you have a declared war and you have a declared, you know, target. but you want to have an open discussion of how we're going to put this into the context of the type of weapons we can and cannot use. >> al, do you have a question? >> i think, senator, is it not a real opportunity for those of us that were concerned about the lack of transparency under president bush and others to set policy to show that we are going to have a policy where we're open as long as we're not compromising national security and where civilians would not just be arbitrarily at risk with being killed by united states missiles? >> al, you and joe are touching on the key point, and that's transparency and accountability. and you're absolutely right. this is the time. we're living in an age where, in effect, the military and the intelligence lines have really blurred. we've got to have much more robust congressional oversight. and i do think this all has to lead to a more informed public debate. now, i was